Honey Bee
by Zico
Summary: Arthur is trying to avoid getting married and Merlin finds himself stuck in a new body. Eventually slash.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: **Another chaptered fic? Let's hope I can actually finish it this time and have the chapters a decent length. Motivation, don't fail me now!!

**Disclaimer: **BBC's Merlin isnot mine in any way shape or form!

--

In Merlin's opinion, banquets were completely useless. They were just another excuse for members of the court to get drunk and normally ending up somewhere, upside down and singing like a sailor. He was almost glad to hear that this evening's feast was going to be held to welcome a visiting King, which meant that courtiers were going to have to try and behave themselves. Merlin then realized that this was never going to happen and went back to his sulking.

He had just been informed by the Pretty Prince Prat (Aka Arthur) that he would not be attending the feast and had left him with an impossible amount of chores to complete. He held up Arthur's red tunic to make sure it was clean and scowled at (or more like through) the vibrant fabric as he thought back to earlier that morning.

--

"_Merlin, you are not coming with me too the feast and that's final." Arthur declared as he crossed his arms over his chest, a sign that he was not going to change his mind anytime soon. Merlin straightened up and met his glare._

"_Why not?" Merlin asked, quickly folding up the clothes he had been picking up off the floor. "If I'm not there then who's going to fill your cup or get your food or-" He was silenced by another steely glare from Arthur and tried very hard not to shiver. Arthur must know how scary he looked when he did that._

"_You idiot, another servant can do it for me, it's not like you're the only one left in the whole world." Arthur explained, his glare softened and he was back to old, arrogant Arthur again. "Besides you won't have time to attend the banquet, not with all the chores you have to do." He smiled smugly and began to list all the chores Merlin would have to do over the course of the day._

--

Merlin growled and dunked the tunic back in the water scrubbing it violently to vent his frustration before pulling it out of the water and squeezing the water out of it, imagining that he was really wringing a certain Prince's neck. He growled and tossed the shirt onto the now finished pile of laundry. He flicked the excess water of his hands before picking up the basket and smiled to himself. When it came to chores he had magic on his side.

---

Uther always made sure that he made a good impression. The radiant red and gold banners rippled gently in the air, a slight breeze coming from the wide open doors of the large hall. The servants had spent a painstaking amount of time making sure that everything was perfect, that the new candles were of level height and set out at exact points a long the table. The dark red table cloths were smooth and set out evenly on the long wooden tables, the floors were spotless and the chandelier hanging majestically from the high ceiling was polished so much that it would shine in the candle light.

It was the complete opposite of how it looked normally, Prince Arthur thought dryly as he watched a small group of servants put the finish touches to the otherwise boring but large hall. He turned to see Morgana and Gwen admiring the splendid decorations; both looked at each other and shared identical, bright smiles as Morgana helped Gwen straighten one of the table clothes. Morgana and Gwen's friendship was almost the complete opposite of Arthur and Merlin's. The girls had pulled off the Servant-and-Mistress-but-still-friends relationship beautifully and Arthur found himself a little jealous. He would never think that he would befriend a servant, and yet some how he and Merlin and formed a very dysfunctional friendship, one that involved mocking, orders and occasionally the stocks and rotten vegetables.

At least it was safe to say that his father didn't suspect a thing when it came to Arthur getting a little too attached to his manservant. Arthur always reasoned to himself that it was because Merlin was completely useless and without Arthur there he would end up getting killed in some freak sheep accident or something like that. Arthur also overused the excuse of saving Merlin whenever he got poisoned or attacked for whatever reason because he was a 'half-decent servant' and for that Arthur knew he was going to Hell for lying. Merlin was terrible, he had improved a little in time but his behavior was atrocious, he acted like He and Arthur, the Crown Prince, were equals.

Merlin really knew how to make Arthur angry, and Arthur wouldn't have it any other way.

---

Merlin stumbled into his room. The tasks the prince had set him, though easier to do with magic helping him, had still left him exhausted. He sat down on his bed, reaching down to pull up one of the floorboards and pull out his spell book. As Arthur had forbidden him from attending the banquet, Merlin was just going to have to disguise himself. A small animal would do, like a mouse or something.

He carefully scanned through the pages until he found the spell he was looking for, the áwendednes spell could change the caster's appearance or body. There was nothing about changing into animals here, Merlin shrugged, but it was worth a try.

He silently called on his magic, feeling it rush through him as he read the words aloud. The flow of magic became stronger and stronger and he began to panic as he felt it rapidly grow out of control. He managed the last word before his world turned black.

---

Arthur shifted nervously in his seat as he watched the procession of finely dressed servants from the visiting kingdom slowly make their way down the long hall, each line bowing before the table which himself, The King and Morgana were sitting at before they scurried off to the side to make way for the next group. It seemed every visiting family had to bring at least half of their serving staff with them like it was some sort of strange trend.

Finally, the visiting King was announced. King Arden finally stepped forward, a small smile on his face as he gave a small nod to Uther. Arden looked a little younger than his host; his hair was a dark brown colour and almost reaching his shoulders in length. His eyes, in contrast, were a lighter grey colour, and held the wisdom of one how had ruled for many years.

"Arden;" Uther began as he stood up from his seat, "It has been too long since your last visit."

Arden offered another small smile, though Uther did not return the favor. "Indeed it has old friend," Arden stepped forward as he spoke "I hope our stay here strengthens the relationship between our two kingdoms." Arden stepped to the side slightly to reveal the young women who had been behind him.

"May I present my Daughter; Isabel." Arden took her hand and led her forward, she curtsied respectfully.

Uther smiled and gestured to his right where Arthur sat. "My son Arthur-" Arthur dipped his head in return before Uther then did the same thing to his left "-and the Lady Morgana" from where Arthur sat he saw Morgana dip her head in greeting as well.

Arthur gave Isabel a long hard look to take in the detail of her appearance. Her hair was long, reaching to the middle of her back and like her father's it was dark brown. Her eyes were a deep green; it must have been her mother's trait, the colour was made to stand out even more by the fitted dark green dress she was wearing.

The rumors Arthur heard had been correct about her appearance, she truly was striking. But now he would have to find out whether or not the other things he had heard about her were true as well or had he sent Merlin a way for nothing.

The feast was finally under way and Arthur sighed into his cup as he turned to where Isabel was sitting next to him, a little too close for his liking. She had been like this ever since she sat down and Arthur had drowned out most of her conversation. He rolled his eyes as she touched his arm again to try and get his attention. He turned towards her again, his eyes resting on his father and Arden, who talking quietly about something before Isabel drew his attention once again.

"-Don't you think so too?" She finished something Arthur hadn't even been listening too in the first place. He blinked for a moment before replying.

"I'm sorry I didn't quite hear all of that." He replied and she smiled almost too sweetly, eyeing the goblet in his hand and most likely thinking the drink was to blame for his absent mindedness.

"I said that in order for our father's kingdoms to have an even stronger bond-" She began slowly as Arthur began to take another gulp of wine "-Is that we should marry." Arthur almost spat his wine all over her in shock. "It would be very convenient, don't you think so?" She smiled as she returned to her food and Arthur leaned on the table, his face now completely white. He held up his cup for it to be refilled again even though he hadn't even finished all of the wine in the first place.

He turned slightly to see Isabel enjoying her food, occasionally looking up to scan the hall every so often her eyes would rest on something and every time Arthur discreetly followed her gaze, it would always be either on one of the knights or a good-looking servant. It would seem the second rumor about her was true as well. She may have seemed all that sweet but the next handsome face to show up would distract her in an instant. He sighed heavily and was happy that he had forbidden Merlin from coming tonight, she wouldn't be able to take her eyes off him if he were here.

Not that Arthur found his manservant incredibly attractive… No, that would be very weird. He mentally hit himself for thinking such a thing and went back to trying to get himself drunk.

---

The familiar tingle of magic was still running through Merlin as he came to. His body felt strange, almost lighter than it had before. He cracked open one eye to find himself still in his room and groaned as he realized that he was still human. He didn't know how much time had passed since he collapsed but he was glad that he didn't wake up as a toad.

He sat up just as there was a sharp rapping on the door. "Merlin!" Gaius' voice cut through the haze running though Merlin's head. "Are you awake in there?" The door creaked open and Gaius shuffled in. "Honestly Merlin you know how Arthur is when… You're….-" Gaius' lecture trailed off as he stared in what appeared to be a mixture of shock, surprise and maybe a hint of amusement.

Merlin did not like that look one bit. "What?" He asked and one hand flew to his neck as he heard his voice. It was much softer, almost like a girls' voice.

Oh… Crap.

"I'm assuming that magic has something to do with this?" Gaius stated, not really asking. He had hit the nail right on the head as usual. Merlin reluctantly looked down to see that his clothes were now far too big for him and he could see dark hair, much longer than before spill over one shoulder. He looked up in panic just as Gaius left the room and, as if reading his mind, returned with a small hand mirror.

"You don't look bad at all." Gaius said soothingly as Merlin gingerly raised the mirror up to his face. Well being female had changed his facial appearance quite a bit. If you squinted and maybe hopped on one leg you could tell he was still Merlin, his eyes were the same deep blue, his hair was the same dark colour and he still had his high cheekbones. Merlin began to worry as he started to like his new appearance and immediately put the mirror down.

"What am I going to do?" Merlin asked helplessly as he looked up at Gaius, who looked down at the spell book that was still wide open on the bed. The physician picked it up and examined the spell on the page.

"I've heard of this spell but what were you trying to do with it?" He asked, one eyebrow raised.

"I wanted to sneak into the banquet." Merlin explained "Just to keep an eye on Arthur." He added quickly.

"And you thought you could do that as a woman?" Gaius asked. Merlin shook his head.

"No, as a rat or something, I didn't think it would turn out like this."

Gaius sighed and looked over the spell again. "The spell doesn't work for changing humans to animals Merlin." Gaius explained, "Maybe you should read into things more before jumping into action."

"I can see that now." Merlin growled, shaking his head again. "Just tell how I can reverse this, please."

Gaius rolled his eyes and quickly read over the page, "It says here that the spell will wear off after a few days. There is no exact time limit here; I assume that is based on the strength of the sorcerer."

Merlin groaned and collapsed back on the bed, with his amount of magic he could be stuck like this for weeks. Gaius placed the spell book back on the bed. "I will see if I can find you something to wear since your own clothes don't fit you anymore."

Merlin sat up again. "What about Arthur?" He asked, "I'm as late as it is, he could come storming in here any minute?"

Gaius turned back to face him just as he was at the door, "I wouldn't worry about that. The prince saw fit to get very drunk at last nights banquet, I doubt even he would be able to get up till at least midday with the amount of alcohol he consumed."

Merlin relaxed a little and watched as Gaius left the room and shut the door behind him. Now alone Merlin realized that he didn't feel entirely comfortable in his new body and fought down the burning curiosity to see what he looked like under his clothes. His face turned red and he turned and buried his face in his pillow before letting out a very loud and frustrated groan.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: **I'd like to thank everyone who added this story to their favorite and alert lists and also to the people that reviewed. I love you all and give you cyber cookies.

---

Merlin looked at Gaius in horror. "What… Are these?" He asked slowly as he ran his hand over the dark blue material of one of the bundles Gaius had placed on the bed.

Gaius looked reproachful for a moment before folding out the material. "It's a dress, Merlin." He replied as if he were talking to a child. Merlin huffed as he unfolded the blue dress. It was very simple, like the ones he saw Gwen wearing sometimes.

"You can't go out wearing your own clothes," Gaius pointed out as he laid the brown dress he was holding onto the bed. "Who knows what people might think?" Merlin nodded sadly. It would raise suspicion and not only that but his old clothes didn't even fit him any more.

"Wait," Merlin muttered as he looked up from one of the dresses. "Where did you even get these?" It was a fair question.

"A seamstress owes me a favor" Gaius answers as he turned to get a pair of shoes out from the same bag that carried the dresses.

"What? A physician calling favors?" Merlin tutted "I thought that saving a person's life was enough for you? What's the world coming too?"

Gaius chuckled, "Your right, but I did this to help you." He placed the dark brown shoes beside the bed and turned to leave the room to give Merlin some privacy.

---

To put it mildly, Arthur was pissed off. His head was pounding so much that some small person might as well be playing a marching drum inside his skull and even worse was that Merlin hadn't even shown up to work today. His manservant would normally be the one to wake him up if he ever over slept or had a hang over. Merlin was the only one to do it without fear of pain of death.

But today he had woken up not to Merlin gently shaking his shoulder and smiling sweetly but to that little man inside his head banging a drum. Yes he was very pissed off.

So here he was storming down the corridor towards Gaius' chamber to drag Merlin out of bed, and also get something for his headache. He pushed the door open without knocking as usual and Gaius looked up from one of his books. "Good day Sire." The physician greeted in a thankfully soft tone of voice. "I take it your here for something for that hangover of yours."

Arthur felt all the anger drain from him and he slumped against the door frame as his headache came back in full force. Gaius always seemed to know everything. Though he knew it wasn't a secret how much he had drunk last night. He thankfully took the small bottle from Gaius and hesitated for a moment before downing the mixture in one gulp to spare himself from the taste.

Arthur cringed as he lowered the bottle and handed it back to Gaius, he felt relieved as his headache started to ebb away. "I assume Merlin is still sleeping." Arthur looked up to the door leading to Merlin's room.

"Actually Sire, Merlin isn't here." Gaius replied as he moved over to one of the shelves and placed the bottle back on it.

"What?" Arthur replied disbelievingly, "I would have known if he had left, he has to ask me for permission to take leave."

Gaius turned to him, his face solemn "I'm afraid his mother has taken ill Sire, he apologizes profusely for leaving at such short notice and without your permission but I'm sure you understand. He only just received the news last night and headed out immediately."

"That idiot," Arthur muttered as he shook his head. "Travelling at night and alone is exceptionally dangerous, what if something happens to him?"

Gaius patted the Prince on the shoulder "You give Merlin far too little credit, you have been training him with a sword for self defense purposes for a while now, I'm sure that will keep him safe."

Arthur was about to come out with something like 'But this is _Merlin_ we are talking about here' but was interrupted by a sudden, loud scream followed by a crash, oddly enough from Merlin's room. It could have been possible for Merlin to have come back without Gaius knowing right?

"Gaius! Help!" A feminine voice yelled from inside Merlin's room and Arthur decided hastily that it was not Merlin and he found himself somewhat disappointed.

Gaius flashed Arthur a weak smile before hurrying up the small steps and knocked on the door.

"Are you alright my dear?" He asked loudly. More shuffling answered.

"No I… Ah got it!" Came the triumphant reply and Gaius barely had enough time to rush down the steps again when the door swung open. Arthur watched curiously as the young lady that was revealed stepped out, Arthur just stared; she wasn't bad looking at all. She looked flustered, her shoulder length black hair was messy and covering her eyes until she forcefully pushed it back with one hand, revealing her bright blue eyes, a colour made even more impressive by the dark blue dress she was wearing.

She turned to Gaius; obviously she hadn't noticed that the Prince was also in the room. "Do you know how hard this was to put on?" She asked rhetorically, gesturing to the dress she was wearing as she stomped unladylike down the small steps. She froze and slowly turned to face Arthur with a look of surprise and a hint of absolute terror. Arthur wasn't that scary was he?

Gaius broke the short silence with a small cough. "This, Sire is my temporary assistant." He paused for a moment as if he was thinking "This is Melissa." He added hastily. Arthur gave her a small smile and a nod. Melissa just stood there absolutely dumbfounded for a moment before she seemed to force herself into an awkward curtsey.

"My Lord." She muttered, just like all the servants did but unlike them the respect wasn't there. It was exactly how Merlin spoke to him. He couldn't help but feel a bit intrigued, he felt like he knew her already. He wanted to ask her but saying 'Have we met before?' would come across as an awful pick up line.

So he decided to treat her like any women who caught his interest. He stepped forward and quickly grabbed her right hand firmly before bringing up to his lips to gently kiss her hand. Melissa turned bright red and dipped her head down. It must have been to hide her embarrassment. Arthur smiled as he let go of her hand and she hastily pulled it back to her side as if she had wanted to snatch her hand out of his grip the entire time. She looked up at him, her breathing was deep and the blush was starting to die down. He gave her a charming smile and she looked very unimpressed.

"Well Gaius I should go and find a replacement for Merlin for the time being." Arthur sighed and turned to leave only pausing to give one small glance over his shoulder to Melissa before walking out of the room. That small feeling of familiarity was starting to annoy him, where had he seen her before?

---

Merlin looked indignant as he… No she turned to Gaius, the dress fluttering with the movement. "Did you see that?" Merlin asked, pointing at the door with an angry tone in his voice. Gaius turned to him with an amused smile.

"It seems to me that Arthur likes you." He replied and Merlin blanched before sitting down on one of the small stools, his eyes wide in panic.

"I knew it" Merlin groaned in frustration and slumped on the table. Sure the Prince's attention was nice in some sort of strange way but it also left him horribly disturbed in another. "What am I going to do?" Merlin asked desperately as he sat up suddenly from the table, his hands gripping the edges hard enough to make his knuckles turn white.

Gaius shook his head and calmly walked over to him and put a reassuring hand on Merlin's shoulder. "You won't have to put up with this for long Merlin, a few days at most and then it will all be over." Gaius moved over to retrieve a basket off the floor by the fire place and placed it in front of Merlin.

"Now then maybe fetching me some ingredients might help take your mind of things," Gaius pulled out a slip of parchment from inside the basket, "Here's a list of the things I want you too collect and do be careful when walking around in the woods in this new form of yours will you?"

Merlin glared and snatched the list from Gaius' hand and picked up the basket as he stood up. "You sound just like Arthur saying that I'm completely helpless, I'm magical aren't I?" And with that Merlin walked inelegantly out of Gaius' chambers.

As the door shut behind him, Gaius sighed heavily and sat down, reaching for one of the books beside him. "How could I forget?"

---

'I've never seen her before.' Gwen thought as she watched the angry looking young woman storm out of Gaius' chambers. She wasn't one of the servants of the visiting party since she hadn't seen her during the introductions. With her curiosity now blazing Gwen set off down the hallway after her; she was heading in the same direction anyway to pick flowers for Morgana so she thought it polite to introduce herself.

After a few minuets of chasing Gwen found herself outside and very much out of breath, it was strange how someone who was supposedly new here knew their way round the castle so well. She finally caught sight of her target again who seemed very much in the same state as her. The servant girl was leaning up against the wall of the court yard, the basket she had been carrying now on the floor.

Gwen took this opportunity to finally approach her since she doubted the poor girl knew anyone here. She walked up beside the girl and gave her a friendly tap on the shoulder. The other girl jumped and turned around a look of horror crossing her features.

Gwen smiled warmly, 'it must be her first day here' she thought. "Hello there." She began, deciding to take this nice and slow since the girl still hadn't calmed down.

She watched as the girl took a deep breath and replied in a shaky voice; "Hello." Gwen smiled, now they were getting somewhere.

"Are you new here?" Gwen asked "I assure there is nothing to be afraid of we are all quite friendly here." She extended one hand for the girl to shake "I'm Guinevere, or just Gwen."

The other girl took her hand and shook it; she seemed to have calmed down a bit much to Gwen's relief. "I'm Mer… Melissa." She said finally and smiled back weakly.

"So how long have you been in Camelot?" Gwen asked in hopes of starting up a friendly conversation to help Melissa ease up.

"Not very long." Melissa began before thinking for a moment, "I only arrived last night. I'm a temporary replacement for Gaius' assistant."

Gwen blinked in surprise, "You're replacing Merlin?" She concluded quickly "Why? Do you know what happened?"

Melissa looked nervous and shifted uneasily on the spot "I don't know I'm sorry, Gaius should know." She replied and Gwen nodded.

"Well I better get back to work" Gwen smiled at Melissa "If you need help with anything just let me know." She smiled one last time and walked past her. Melissa seemed nice but she couldn't quite shake off the feeling that she knew her already.

---

Merlin stared after Gwen for a moment and leaned on the wall once again before heaving a huge sigh of relief. He had almost slipped up there. He ran a hand through his hair and picked up the basket again and began the trek to the forest just outside Camelot's walls. He would have to ask Gaius later what his excuse for Merlin's sudden disappearance was. Gaius always came up with the most plausible excuses and he had probably been doing it for Arthur and Morgana for years.

His new body was much weaker than his real one, if that could be possible since Arthur was always mocking him about how feeble he was. He was glad when he finally reached the outskirts of the forest and checked the list he had been given quickly before going in any further. He searched every bush, picking up certain berries, flowers and herbs and dropping them into the basket. As he moved through the forest he kept one ear open for any signs of people nearby. Just incase Arthur was hunting and Merlin didn't want to end up being mistaken for a deer.

After some long searching, he finally found the mushrooms he was looking for and dropped to his knees to pick them. These were the last ingredients on the list and Merlin was happy that he would be able to get back inside soon. It was entering the winter months and the air was growing colder with each passing day. He would have to ask Gaius if he knew where to buy a coat.

He put the last of the mushrooms in the basket and stood up. He brushed the dirt from the dress and turned to start walking back. Instead he walked straight into someone's chest. How did he not notice someone standing behind him? Arthur was right; he needed to concentrate on his surroundings more. He looked up to see the grisly smile of a man that was far too big for his liking. In Merlin's current form he was practically three times his size.

"Ah excuse me." Merlin said nervously and went to move around him only to be stopped by the creep grabbing his arm.

"So, what's a pretty thing like you doing here?" The man's voice was like gravel and made Merlin shiver. So… this is what Gaius meant when he said be careful. Merlin's mind was racing for an answer when the man grew impatient and began dragging him deeper through the trees. Merlin began yelling out demands for him to let go and struggled instinctively to try and wrench his arm out of his attacker's grip only for it to tighten even more. He yelped loudly in pain and felt his magic begin to bubble inside him in response. He was just about to make the man regret even touching him when someone beat him too it.

Merlin's rescuer took his captor out in one swift blow to the head. The grip on Merlin's arm went slack but not enough for Merlin to stay upright when his attacker sank to the floor.

"Are you alright?" Merlin felt someone gently grip his arm and pull him upright. Oh no Merlin knew that voice. He was turned around and Merlin's suspicions were confirmed. Well, Prince Arthur had just earned himself some more points then. Merlin finally nodded in response as he looked up at Arthur who didn't seem all the convinced.

Merlin suppressed a shiver as he felt the Prince run both hands gentle over his arms and earned a small hiss of pain as Arthur's hand met the spot where Merlin had been grabbed. Arthur smiled slightly and gripped Merlin's wrist softly, but firmly in one hand and pulled up his sleeve with the other revealing the bruise that was now forming. "Some how I knew you were lying." Arthur joked and Merlin glared back and looked past Arthur to see the group of Knights that made up his hunting group. One young man, who absolutely wasn't a knight and was overloaded with hunting equipment, was quickly dubbed in Merlin's mind as his replacement.

"We will be heading back." The Prince announced before turning to Merlin. "You will be coming back with us." He declared before beginning to walk back up the hill, and Merlin had no choice but to follow. He gripped the handle of the basket tightly as he was led back to the horses and was helped up onto one of them behind one of the knights. Merlin kept the basket in one hand and the other was on the knight's shoulder so he didn't fall off.

It was very awkward sitting on a horse wearing a dress, he felt uncomfortable and like he was going to fall off any minuet. At least the ride would be quick.

---

Arthur was glad he had found Melissa when he did. The girl wouldn't have stood a chance against that beast of a man. He looked over his shoulder to where Melissa was holding on to Kay. She looked extremely uncomfortable. Arthur reasoned that this was to do with the encounter earlier. She seemed to have the ability to find trouble even in the most simplest of tasks, much like Merlin.

He sighed heavily as they approached Camelot. Isabel would no doubt be waiting for him. He would gladly let her run off with whatever slightly good looking man caught her eye next but she still seemed adamant about staying with him even as her eyes wandered.

He groaned mentally as he saw her waiting for him in the courtyard and she approached him as he dismounted his horse.

"I assume your trip was a successful one?" She asked with a dazzling smile and Arthur suddenly felt sick.

"Yes of course." He replied and managed to keep a confident façade up even as she gripped his arm in a silent command to escort her back to her rooms. Arthur knew he was going to have trouble avoiding her, he could hide on a boat in the sea somewhere and she would still find him.

He quickly looked over his shoulder to where Kay was helping Melissa down of his horse. He would much rather spend his day trying to crack that mystery than put up with Isabel's sickly sweet smile.

---

Merlin thanked Kay as he was placed on the ground once again and watched as Arthur was obviously dragged away by whom he assumed to be the visiting Princess Isabel. He didn't like her almost instantly. Over the time he had spent protecting Arthur Merlin had liked to think he had built up a sixth sense.

He slid the basket handle up his arm so it rested in the crook of his elbow, on his uninjured arm of course, and walked back to Gaius. After returning to the physician's chambers he placed the basket on the table next to Gaius.

"Finally back are you." Gaius looked up from his book and picked up the basket, looking through the contents to make sure everything was there. "Everything went well I see." Gaius spoke again as he stood up and began putting the various herbs and flowers into pots and bottles lining his room.

Merlin lied through his teeth and nodded, "Yeah, fine." The bruise on his arm began throbbing.

Gaius put the now empty basket back down near the fire place. "Good, now we have some practicing to do."

Merlin frowned "Practicing?" He asked, "What? Why?"

Gaius raised an eyebrow. "Because you don't move like a lady at all, you have to be convincing."

Merlin was never going to live this down.

---

**A/N: **I honestly didn't want to stop it there but I must save things for later chapters! Thanks for reading and don't forget to review! See the button? Look! It's just waiting to be clicked!


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: **I'm stunned, no really. I didn't think this story would be very popular but what do I know eh? I'm happy people are enjoying this so far and I give you… The next chapter! Enjoy!

---

Arthur locked the door to his room behind him. Leaning back against the wood once he had made sure he was completely alone. It had taken far longer than he would have liked it too to get Isabel away from him; one thing he didn't like in women was that they were far too clingy. He wanted someone who was independent, someone like Melissa, or Merlin.

Arthur hastily backpedaled right there.

Well Melissa certainly reminded him of Merlin. They behaved the same, totally lacking any respect for him and making no effort to hide it. Not only that but they were similar in appearance… Kind of. Dark hair and blue eyes just like Merlin's, bad attitude and not even saying thank you after being rescued, like Merlin.

This meant something but Arthur wasn't entirely sure what.

He shrugged and collapsed on his bed.

---

"No Merlin, keep your back straight!"

Merlin winced as he made another lap of the room, consciously keeping himself upright.

"You're slouching again!" Gaius brandished his broom ominously and Merlin tried not to whimper.

"I'll put this down the back of your shirt to keep you straight if you continue." Gaius threatened as he pointed the broom handle at Merlin who darted to the other side of the room to escape.

"Do you have to be so violent?" Merlin asked wile not taking his eyes off the broom.

Gaius glowered. "Yes! If you want to remain undiscovered till the spell wears off you will do as I say." Gaius lowered the broom, "Now then, once more."

Merlin walked round the room again, keeping his back straight and making sure not to make his steps to wide. He also kept his upper arms close to him, only letting his arms below the elbow sway, just trying to make it even more girly and not be suspicious at all.

"That's better!" Gaius cried happily and Merlin was thankful that he would have to face the broom.

"How do you know so much about how women walk by the way?" Merlin asked curiously.

Gaius raised the broom again and Merlin dropped the subject immediately.

---

"Hunith is sick?" Morgana repeated, the concern in her voice was obvious.

Gwen nodded as she stepped away from the ornate vase on the windowsill. "I spoke to Gaius no sooner had I heard from the new serving girl that she was replacing Merlin." Gwen walked over to Morgana's bed and sat down next to her. "Merlin really cares for his mother but I'm sure her illness is nothing serious."

Morgana nodded, "Still, I worry." She whispered.

Gwen turned to her with a look of worry. "You haven't been having more nightmares have you?"

Morgana nodded slowly, they hadn't been so bad at first but now she saw them almost every night and every night they became clearer and clearer. But the dream was still confusing and she hadn't been able to interpret it. There was thunder, a storm maybe but it was somewhere where she thought was safe. But then there were the eyes, green eyes turning to red and blue eyes turning to gold.

She was distracted when Gwen stood. "Shall I go to Gaius and ask for a stronger sleeping remedy for you?"

Morgana smiled and stood up also "I'll come with you; I've been stuck in this room all day."

---

Gaius quickly put the broom on the table as he heard the knock of the door. "Come in." He called and shooed Merlin away from the table and over to where the jars and bottles were laid out across desks and shelves. Merlin knew what that meant and huffed as he began switching the empty jars on the shelves for the full ones.

Gaius smiled as Gwen peered round the door. She pushed it open all the way to allow herself and Morgana to go in.

"Good afternoon Gaius." Morgana smiles at the physician who dipped his head respectfully.

"My Lady," He smiled as he looked up "And what brings you here?"

"My nightmares have returned Gaius; I need a stronger sleeping potion." Morgana explained sadly and Gaius stepped towards her and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"Of course, I shouldn't be long in making it." Gaius turned from her and over to his desk. "Melissa." He called and Merlin turned from where he was balancing jars and bottles on the shelves and quickly walked over to help.

---

Morgana settled down on one of the stools and Gwen pulled up one next to her and sat down as well. Both watched as Gaius prepared the medicine, instructing his temporary assistant in what herbs to bring him and occasionally let her watch as he explained how to mix the ingredients correctly.

"So that's Merlin's replacement?" Morgana asked as she turned to Gwen.

"Yes," Gwen nodded in reply, "I spoke to her this morning."

Morgana watch the dark haired young women walk stiffly back and forth between Gaius and one of the sets of shelves.

"She looks… familiar." Morgana frowned and kept her voice low. Gwen gasped.

"Yes, I was thinking the exact same thing after I met her." Gwen exclaimed before glancing nervously over at Melissa just incase she had heard them.

Morgana hummed and leaned against the table as she watched the girl in question. "She reminds me of someone?" Morgana said as she leaned over to Gwen.

Gwen nodded "Yes but who?"

They continued watching her for sometime and it wasn't until Melissa dropped one of the jars then fell over when trying to pick up the contents did it hit them.

"Merlin." The two said in unison and Melissa jumped up in terror. Gaius too turned around at their sudden outburst.

"That's it." Gwen smiled "You remind me of Merlin."

Melissa looked relieved and smiled weakly before starting to clear up the mess she had made.

Morgana grinned triumphantly. Merlin and Melissa did seem to have a lot of similarities between them. Thinking back, Merlin was always clumsy and would always pretend to pay attention to Gaius. Melissa was just like that too. The glazed over look in her eyes whenever Gaius was explaining something was a dead give away.

Gaius shook the small bottle he had emptied the medicine into a few times before handing it to Morgana. "You already know what you need to do with this." He said as Morgana smiled at him and stood up, the small bottle safe in her hand.

---

Merlin sat down at the table and slumped forward as Gwen shut the door behind her. His back was killing him. He didn't know how women put up with keeping their backs straight all the time. He turned and glared at Gaius as the physician finished putting his equipment away.

Gaius smiled as he approached Merlin, "I think you did very well." He said as he sat down next to Merlin.

Merlin huffed and stretched his arms out in front of him. "I don't" He replied. Gaius laughed.

"I understand that it must be difficult to deal with this sudden change, but you're doing well so far." Gaius patted Merlin's arm and Merlin's luck dictated that it would be his injured one.

Merlin gritted his teeth and tried to inconspicuously move his arm out of Gaius firm grip.

Merlin's luck also dictated that Gaius would notice this.

"Is something wrong?" Gaius frowned and studied Merlin's expression and instantly recognized it as pain.

"Merlin what happened?" Gaius demanded and Merlin stood and stepped back hastily.

"Nothing honestly," He held out his hands in front of him to try and keep some distance as Gaius stood up.

"I told you to be careful when you went out gathering, why do you never listen to me?" Gaius seemed just as angry as when Merlin misused his magic. "Your vulnerable in this form Merlin, please be more careful."

Merlin remained silent, now he felt guilty for upsetting Gaius. "I'm sorry." It was all he could say really. "I promise I'll be more careful."

He quickly left the room, avoiding Gaius' eyes and started to search for Arthur. He still hadn't thanked him yet.

---

**A/N: **I'll admit it. I had horrendous writers block with this one so I'm sorry that the chapters so short. Well enough of my problems, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, please review!


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: **Sorry this is late; I've been busy with applying to university and all that. It's draining my time. This chapter was such a pain to write for some reason, it fought me all the way. Anyway, thank you to everyone who favourited and reviewed it makes me feel loved!

-

Merlin was surprised when he found Arthur in his room. He would have thought the Prince would be out training the knights or up on the battlements at this time. He did have to ask a passing guard whether or not the Arthur was in his room but he did finally find out.

He paused outside the door and fiddled nervously with his hands. As himself he could just unlock the door with the key he had finally been trusted with but right now he was someone else and he doubted Arthur would even think about opening the door to him as Melissa.

But he had come here for, what he thought to be, a good reason and so raised his hand to knock on the door.

Silence.

Merlin frowned and waited for a few moments before knocking again, this time louder. He held his breath as he heard movement behind the door and watched as it creaked open just slightly for a moment before opening fully and Merlin took that as a sign that he could go in.

He had been in and out of Arthur's room so many times but right now he felt nervous. He quietly commanded his hands to stop shaking and for him to get a grip. Maybe his new body was having a much stronger effect on him than he first thought. He turned to see Arthur standing behind him looking strangely relieved.

"Melissa, wasn't it?" Arthur asked and Merlin nodded.

"Yes Sire, I just came here to thank you for earlier."

Arthur smiled kindly, it wasn't very obvious though but it was enough.

-

Arthur didn't know how thankful he was to find that it wasn't Isabel knocking at his door. He had finally been rid of her for just over half an hour and he had decided to only leave the room when it was completely necessary. However, he had discovered that being stuck in his room was very, very boring and he was glad that Melissa had showed up out of the blue.

"It was no trouble, I'm sure anyone else would have done the same."

He watched as Melissa smiled shyly and looked down at the floor. He immediately translated that as '_no they wouldn't_'. He cleared his throat and Melissa looked up again before he changed the subject.

"How is your arm?" He asked. The poor girl had been grabbed pretty hard; the bruise he had seen was proof of that. "I trust you saw Gaius about that."

"Well…. About that…" Melissa shuffled timidly on the spot. "I didn't want to cause any trouble you know, and the bruise looks fine and it barely hurts so-"Arthur blocked out the girls rambling and resisted the urge to roll her eyes. This brought him back to something which he had been thinking about earlier on. She really was like Merlin. She was even stupid enough to ignore her own injuries; it was something very Merlin-like it was shocking.

"Melissa." He said loudly and sternly enough to make her stop mid sentence and glared half-heartedly at her since there was no point in distressing the girl even more. "Show me your arm." He commanded and at first Melissa looked like she wasn't going too, but after a few more moments she slowly pulled up the sleeve of her right arm.

Arthur expertly held in the urge to wince. He may have had worse but that bruise did look painful. "Sit down." He gestured to the bed and Melissa shuffled over and slowly sat down on the edge, he could feel her eyes on him as he moved across the room and take out a small jar of salve Gaius had given him not too long a go. It was good to use on small cuts, or in this case bruises.

He sat down on the bed next to her and reached out to grab her arm. She didn't struggle or pull back which was good. She hissed as the salve was rubbed into the bruise even though Arthur was being as gentle as possible. Melissa was taking it rather well, she remained still and quiet except for the small hisses and winces every now and then.

After he finished Melissa held up her arm to inspect the bruise. "Thank you, it's much better now." She said as her face lit up with a grin that was eerily familiar.

Arthur had to look away. "Well it seemed to be the only way that you're going to get treated with all that 'I don't want to cause trouble' excuses." Arthur found it amusing that she would do that but end up making even more trouble. "Sounds like someone I know." He finished and glanced quickly at her again.

Melissa put on an innocent smile and Arthur could tell it was false. She was trying to conceal panic but failing miserably. Arthur didn't know why she was panicking in the first place and it confused him. Arthur hated being confused.

"Really?" She asked through gritted teeth. "Who?"

Arthur stood up and waved one hand in a dismissive gesture. "The worlds worst manservant." Melissa spluttered at that but tried to cover it with a cough.

"I better get back to Gaius." Melissa stood up as she spoke and smoothed out her dress. "Thank you for your help Sire." She then smiled brightly and hurried out of the room before Arthur had a chance to reply.

"Strange girl." He muttered as the door shut behind her.

-

Night was finally drawing in and Merlin was relieved that it was almost the end of this extremely long and, most possibly worst day of his life. He passed the servants as the lit the torches down the corridors and headed back to Gaius' room. He should probably apologize for being so absent minded and getting himself nearly kidnapped in the first place, but asking him to not be absent minded is like asking the sky to fall.

He reached Gaius' room and cautiously opened the door. He glanced quickly round the room and spotted Gaius sorting out herbs on one of the tables. As Merlin stepped in the Physician looked up. "Ah, back are you?"

Merlin smiled, "Yeah, Sorry about earlier." Gaius did deserve a proper apology, the last one was rushed and Merlin had run from the room immediately afterwards. Gaius sighed and shook his head.

"It's alright, I overreacted." Gaius smiled and looked over to where a large tub sat on the floor, Steam curled up from the hot water inside it and Merlin paled instantly.

"I do think you need a bath Merlin, gender swapping is no excuse not to stay clean."

Merlin shook his head. "I had one yesterday." He replied. How did Gaius get a bath ready so quickly anyway, he hadn't been gone that long had he?

"Merlin, you're bound to need one after going out into the forest." Gaius explained and frowned as Merlin folded his arms and looked away. "You _are not_ getting out of this Merlin, I'll leave to give you some privacy but I expect you to be washed when I get back."

Merlin waited until Gaius had left before turning to look at the tub. He groaned helplessly and began the embarrassing task of taking his clothes off.

He tired not looking downwards after getting into the water and this made washing a little awkward. His hair took longer than usual as it was much longer that he was used too and he found it annoying when the wet strands stuck to his face and hung down in front of his eyes.

He finished as quickly as he could so he could finally get to bed. He slipped on his night shirt and collapsed onto the bed, it was such a relief that one day in this form was now over. He swore he could hear the dragon laughing at him when he finally closed his eyes.

-

**A/N: **Sorry for this being almost as short as the last chapter but I thought you guys had waited long enough for me to crank something out. I'm so sorry, you all deserve much better than this short thing. God damn writer's block, I really do hate it.

Please review even though this chapter is very short and very bad lol. I'll make the next chapter longer I promise! Also if people could suggest ways that they get over the their own writer's block I will be very grateful.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: **This is so late and I am so sorry. x_x Over the time that I have spent not writing this chapter I have applied to and gotten into university (which is where I am now) and have been trying to get a job to pay for all the expenses university brings (no luck there). So... Here is the next chapter and I hope I shall never leave an update this long again.

oOo

Merlin was very disappointed the next morning to find that he was still a girl. After getting dressed and sitting down at the table for breakfast Gaius made him feel even worse, "No change I see." Merlin groaned and rested his head on the table and stayed that way even as he felt Gaius rest one hand on his shoulder. "Only few more days at most Merlin, Then it will all be over." Merlin groaned again as he knew these days would only crawl by.

"I've got some deliveries for you to make after breakfast." Gaius said as he placed a bowl of porridge on the table and only then did Merlin lift his head.

"You're making me walk around _even more_?" Merlin sighed and straightened up before stretching his arms above his head. "My back is killing me thanks to you."

Gaius chuckled and put the bowl of porridge down in front of him. "The drafts are set out on the desk; do try to deliver these quickly this time."

oOo

It had been when Merlin was walking past the training field when it happened. A loud crash of something metal falling to the floor made him stop and turn to one of the tents set up along the edge of the field.

"You clumsy oaf!"

Merlin winced as he heard a shriek of fear and only just managed to step out the way when a young servant sprinted out one of the nearby tents and almost knocked him over. He stared in the direction of the fleeing young man for a long moment before turning back to look at the tent.

He blinked when none other than Arthur poked his head out as if to check where the servant had gone to. He finally noticed Merlin, who just waved and smiled nervously. Arthur looked slightly less angry and went back inside the tent.

Merlin curiously walked over to the tent flap and peeked inside. Bits of Arthur's armor were on the floor and Merlin concluded that his replacement had dropped them. He glanced at Arthur who was slowly picking them up and placing them in a neater pile before starting to take off the parts that he was still wearing.

Merlin sighed and pushed the flap aside. "Do you need some help Sire?" He asked. Arthur looked up. The anger drained even more from his face as he saw who was there.

"What are you doing in here?" He asked and Merlin smiled slightly.

"I see you chased off your manservant." He stated. "Do you need some help Sire?"

"What would _you _know about armor?" Arthur retorted sharply and fiddled with one of the straps on his left arm.

Merlin's eyes narrowed. "More than you would think, Sire." He was trying to be polite, he really was, but Arthur always seemed to make him angry one way or another. He was next to Arthur in a moment, pushing Arthur's hands away from the leather strap and undoing it with ease.

He didn't look up to read Arthur's expression as he continued and finally moved round to undo the trickier straps. He wasn't sure how long had past when Morgana suddenly burst into the tent.

"That is the second replacement you have scared off Arthur! This is getting rid-.." She trailed off as she noticed that it wasn't just Arthur in the tent. She smiled slightly and Merlin could tell it was forced. "Melissa, would you be so kind as to leave Arthur and I alone? I'm sure Gaius has a lot of work for you to do." Merlin nodded and stepped away from Arthur and made for the tent flap, not forgetting to curtsy to the two before leaving.

oOo

Morgana waited until Melissa was outside before turning back to Arthur. She narrowed her eyes and stepped forward.

"This is getting ridiculous Arthur. Merlin hasn't even been away for two days and you have already chased off two of his replacements." She fixed Arthur with a steely frown before continuing. "I once heard you complain about him constantly but now you can't seem to be without him."

Arthur almost spluttered at that. "No." he replied firmly once he had composed himself again. "Those two replacements Father has given me are worse than Merlin."

Morgana didn't buy that for one moment. "You constantly tell him he is the 'Worst Manservant Ever' even when he is trying his best to help you." She countered and smiled victoriously as Arthur couldn't seem to be able to think up a comeback for that.

She wasn't finished just yet though. "What's more, you seem to be getting close to that Melissa lately."

Arthur laughed at that. "I'm getting close to her? I barely even know her."

"Yes, but don't think I didn't see what she was doing just now." She replied. "She was helping you with your armor; you never let anyone other than yourself or Merlin do that, let alone a woman."

She had also heard that Melissa had been seen visiting Arthur after one of his hunting trips, but she doubted Arthur needed to hear any more on this subject, it was time for her to conclude this lecture.

"It would seem to me that you are missing Merlin an awful lot." She said and smirked as a shocked look flickered across Arthur's face.

"What has that got to do with anything?" He almost hissed in reply.

Morgana sighed and flipped her hair back from over her shoulder. "Incase you haven't noticed…" She began, pausing for effect. "That Melissa girl is very similar to Merlin." She stopped and waited for her words to sink in.

The look of shock was back, permanently now and Morgana smirked triumphantly. "Listen Arthur, a blind man can see that you do truly care for Merlin, so don't replace him with Melissa, both of them deserve better than that." With that she turned on her heel and left, the fine fabric of her dress flowing as she went.

Arthur blinked and leant on the small wooden table he had rested his sword on. Morgana had a nasty habit of seeing something about him that Arthur didn't even see himself, but now it was painfully obvious. He had noticed the small similarities between the two servants. Maybe Morgana was right; he liked Melissa because he reminded him so much of Merlin. He let out a slow breath at the realization and busied himself with getting his armor off.

oOo

Merlin sighed heavily as he rested against a wall not too far from Arthur's tent. Who knows what Morgana and Arthur were talking about and Merlin found himself curious. He rested one hand on the bag that now held only one more of Gaius' drafts inside. He looked away from the tent and pulled the bottle from the bag to check the label.

'_Princess Isabel._' It read.

Merlin frowned and put the bottle back in the bag. It wasn't that he didn't want to meet the Princess, he at least wanted a chance to see her properly before he made a decision on whether he liked her or not. He put the small bottle back in the leather bag and set off at a quick pace to the guests quarters. It was difficult to have to think constantly about how a lady would walk but it was slowly getting easier, Merlin wasn't sure if he should be happy or mortified by that.

He finally reached Isabel's room and raised one hand to knock on the door only to have it open before he could so much as touch it. The princess stared long and hard at him and Merlin felt very uncomfortable under her scrutinizing gaze.

"And you are?" She asked snappishly as she took one hand off the door handle and placed both delicate hands on her hips, her piercing gaze still fixed on him.

Merlin hesitated for a second before reaching for his bag and pulling out the last draft. "I work for Gaius." He replied, the princess's expression remained unchanged, "The court physician?" He prompted.

"Ahh... Yes." Isabel's posture didn't relax though her gaze became a tad softer. "I take it you are the replacement for the physician's apprentice. Melissa was it?"

Merlin was taken back. This was the first time he had ever met the princess and he had not been in this form for very long either. He must had underestimated the speed that castle gossip travelled.

"Y-yes... My lady." He replied shakily as he held out the draft. Isabel rudely snatched it out of his hand.

"I see." She replied simply as she twirled the small bottle in one hand. "You're the one who Arthur has taken a shine to." She added almost venomously.

Merlin spluttered. "Wai-wait what?" He threw up his now empty hands in a defensive gesture. "'Taken a shine to?' That's the first time I've heard of anything like this." Well actually Gaius pointed it out but he didn't want to admit that.

"Silence." The Princess commanded, and she got it. She fixed Merlin with another steely glare that he found very difficult to hold. "I know that you went to see the Prince yesterday after you came back with his hunting party." She explained.

"How do you know that I did?" Merlin asked as he became increasingly nervous every moment he was under her gaze.

"I was waiting for the prince outside his room, I was standing at the other end of the hallway waiting for him to come out." Isabel replied as she looked away from Merlin to the bottle. Merlin was very keen to point out that that sounded like stalking but thought better of voicing his opinion.

"Now you listen to me," Isabel abruptly turned back to Merlin and leaned in very close to his face, Merlin instinctively leaned back to try and keep his distance. Isabel reached up her free hand to stroke the long, dark hair that was spilling over Merlin's shoulder in a parody of gentleness. "Arthur _will_ be mine. I will not have some filthy servant girl stealing him from me." She hissed as she gave Merlin's hair a sharp tug, forcing him to wince and cry out in pain. "Stay away or I will make sure that no one finds your body." Merlin gasped as he saw a flash of red light up Isabel's eyes. '_Magic..._' He thought as she pulled away from him, turned back to her room and proceeded to slam the door in his face.

"Great..." Grumbled Merlin as he turned to go back to Gaius. "Another problem is all I needed."

oOo

**A/N:** Oddly enough despite the fact that I haven't updated in a long long time I still had people adding this to their favourites and reviewing this... It really did make me happy and thank you to all those people who did that during my long and unannounced hiatus, creativity always suffers when life gets in the way. D=

Anyway series 3 of Merlin is really good so far. Though I'm so sad Morgana is now evil, but she's still bad ass... Personally I hate how cocky and arrogant her and Morgause are... It really makes me want to have Merlin go all _'Emrys'_ on them and knock them down a few notches. Anyway, enough ranting for now. Sorry that the chapter wasn't worth the wait. Review anyway please.


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